Border Battle Rivalry Renews Sunday as Gophers Host Wisconsin

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota (6-9, 5-8 Big Ten) looks for its fifth win in its last seven games when it faces Wisconsin (5-13, 2-13 B1G) at 1 p.m. Sunday. Like they did for Wednesday's contest against Illinois, the Gophers are making Sunday a Play4Kay Pink Game.

Sunday's contest against the Badgers, which is the second of two scheduled matchups between the schools this year, will be streamed on Big Ten Network Plus and can be heard on the Gophers' radio home, 96.7 FM KFAN Plus.

THE OPENING TIP-OFF

• The teams met just over a month ago in Madison with the Gophers prevailing in overtime, 88-83. More information can be found below on that matchup and on the all-time series.

• Jasmine Powell leads the Gophers with a scoring average of 15.5 points per game this season. She has scored at least 11 points in 16 of the past 17 contests dating to last year. In addition to her scoring prowess, which ranks 16th in the Big Ten, Powell is third in the conference and 18th nationally with her 5.7 assists per game.

• Powell is one of only three players in the country (all of whom are in the Big Ten) with her averages of at least 15.5 points and 5.7 assists this season along with Iowa's Caitlin Clark (26.7 points, 6.5 assists) and Indiana's Grace Berger (15.6, 5.8).

• After missing the first two games of the season, Sara Scalia averaged 8.0 points over her first three contests and was shooting 23.5 percent from the floor (8-34) and 20 percent on 3-pointers (4-20). However, she has averaged 17.3 points over her last nine contests while shooting 40.5 percent on field goals (51-126) and 37.8 percent on 3's (31-82). She missed the Jan. 10 contest with Penn State but has scored at least 11 points in each of those nine games, including a career-high 30 against Purdue on Jan. 28. It was the first 30-point game by the Gophers since Dec. of 2018. Scalia has made two or more 3-pointers in each of the last nine outings, including four with at least four made and a career-best six vs. Purdue.

• In her first game with Minnesota, Kadi Sissoko scored 24 points in her first game at Minnesota to tie a school record for points a Gophers debut (Kenisha Bell vs. VCU, 11/15/16). Sissoko has recorded two double-doubles this season and has been close to adding to that total in three other games with 8 points and 9 rebounds at Nebraska (1/19), 15 points and 8 boards at Penn State (1/25) and 13 points with 9 rebounds at Ohio State (2/7). Sissoko is the team's top rebounder (6.8 per game), ranks fourth in the Big Ten in offensive rebounds per game (3.4) and is 16th in rebounding average.

• The Gophers are 3-6 at home this season with wins over Eastern Illinois, Purdue and Illinois, but they've won two of their past three there. Like she is overall for the season, Powell is the team's top scorer at Williams Arena with 17.0 points per game. Also averaging double figures for Minnesota at home are Scalia (116.3) and Sissoko (11.6). Klarke Sconiers is the team's top rebounder in Minneapolis with 6.0 boards per contest.

FACING WISCONSIN

• Minnesota and Wisconsin meet for the 81st time on Sunday. It's the Gophers' second-most played series behind only Iowa, whom Minnesota has played 82 times.

• Minnesota is 21-14 all-time at home against Wisconsin, its most wins against one program at home. The Gophers have won five of their past six against Wisconsin at Williams Arena, though the Badgers snapped a five-game losing streak at The Barn with a win last year.

• Owning a 4-1 mark against Wisconsin, a win Sunday would mark the first time Lindsay Whalen has beaten a team five times in her coaching career. She is also 4-1 against Penn State.

• Minnesota has two Wisconsinites on its roster in freshmen Erin Hedman (New Berlin; Eisenhower HS) and Caroline Strande (Racine; Racine Lutheran HS). Conversely, Wisconsin has two Minnesotans on its roster: sophomores Carmen Backes from Lindstrom (Chisago Lakes HS) and Sara Stapleton from Blaine (Centennial HS).

• Wisconsin enters the game 5-13 on the season and 2-13 in Big Ten play. The Badgers opened their season with a 3-2 mark but then dropped nine in a row, including the Jan. 3 contest against Minnesota in Madison. Wisconsin has gone 2-2 in its last four games, including a 75-70 upset of No. 12 Ohio State Wednesday.

• Sydney Hilliard leads the team by averaging 17.0 points per game and has played a Big Ten-best 612:02 minutes this season.

• Imani Lewis joins Hilliard in double figures at 14.9 points. Lewis is also the conference's leader in rebounds (162) and double-doubles (10; 9th nationally).

EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST WISCONSIN

• Minnesota won the first meeting between the teams in an 88-83 overtime thriller at Wisconsin on Jan. 3.

• The Gophers scored the first seven points of OT and finished with 18 total in the frame to tie a program record for points in an overtime period. The victory was their eighth straight in Madison, extending the team's longest active road win streak against one school.

• Gadiva Hubbard was one of five Gophers in double figures, notching a season-high 24 points. Nineteen of her 24 points came in the second half, including nine alone in the overtime session.

• Kadi Sissoko recorded her first career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. She added a career-best five assists.

• Matching Sissoko with 16 points was Laura Bagwell Katalinich, marking a season high. Also in double figures were Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia, who each scored 11 points. All 11 of Scalia's season-high points came in the first half as she was limited to just four minutes of action in the second half due to injury, while Powell tied Sissoko for the team lead with five assists.

• Tied at 70-70 following regulation, the Gophers jumped out to a 77-70 lead in less than two minutes as Bagwell Katalinich hit a jumper, Alexia Smith forced a steal and a fastbreak layup and Powell hit a 3-pointer.

• The lead remained at seven for the Gophers with 2:01 to play, but Wisconsin scored five in a row and had a chance to tie the game or take the lead with 23 seconds left. However, the Badgers were issued a technical foul for calling a timeout when they did not have any left. Hubbard stepped to the line and made both free throws, then made two more free throws when Wisconsin was forced to foul.

LAST TIME IN MINNEAPOLIS

• The Gophers saw a 13-game win streak over the Badgers come to an end in a 72-62 loss on Jan. 22, 2020, in Minneapolis.

• Four players reached double figures for Minnesota with Jasmine Brunson and Gadiva Hubbard leading the way with 12 points each. Jasmine Powell pitched in with 11 points off the bench and Sara Scalia added 10.

• Taiye Bello was one point away from a double-double as she finished with 13 rebounds and nine points.

• Wisconsin, which was led by Imani Lewis' 23 points and 16 rebounds, led 20-14 after the first quarter, but the Gophers turned it on in the second and outscored the Badgers 23-14 in the stanza highlighted by an 11-2 run.

• Unfortunately Minnesota couldn't keep the momentum up in the second half as Wisconsin held a 19-8 edge in the third quarter. Tied at 45-45 with 5:18 to play in the frame, Wisconsin closed out the quarter on an 8-0 run and led 53-45 entering the fourth. Minnesota would get as close as five midway through the final frame.

RECAPPING THE WIN OVER ILLINOIS

• Minnesota rode a dominant first half to an 83-73 victory over Illinois Wednesday night at Williams Arena.

• Sara Scalia led the way in scoring with a team-high 20 points, all of which came in the second half. After going 0-6 from the floor and 0-4 from 3-point range through the first and second quarters, Scalia was 6-11 on field goals, including 3-5 on 3-pointers, and 5-6 on free throws in the second half. It was the sixth 20-point game of her career, and the Gophers are 6-0 all-time when she reaches that mark.

• Also in double figures were Jasmine Powell (17) and Kadi Sissoko (16). Each player had six rebounds to tie for the team lead, while Powell added seven assists.

• Minnesota dominated the first quarter, outscoring the Illini, 24-8. It was the fewest points allowed by the Gophers in any quarter this season and the 16-point edge in the quarter matched the fourth quarter at Penn State for the largest margin this season.

• Minnesota scored the first nine points of the contest and was up 18-5 with just under four minutes remaining in the opening period. The Gophers were 9-17 shooting, while the Illini were just 3-17.

• The second quarter was more of the same as the Gophers opened the frame on 14-4 spurt to make it 38-12 with 6:54 to play in the first half. Illinois worked its way back into the contest with a 13-2 run late in the quarter, but a basket and free throw by Sissoko in the final seconds put Minnesota up 43-25 at halftime.

• For Minnesota, the 18-point edge was its largest halftime lead of the season, while Illinois had the lowest point total for any opponent in a half this year. • The Gophers kept up their hot shooting in the third quarter as Scalia got going. After the teams traded baskets to open the second half, Scalia hit back-to-back 3-pointers before Powell added one of her own. Scalia then made a third straight triple and the lead was Minnesota's largest of the entire season at 57-28 with 6:38 to play in the third.

• Illinois shaved 11 points off that score, though, and the lead was 64-46 for Minnesota entering the fourth. The Illini chipped away in the final frame and found themselves within single digits with 2:21 remaining after a 9-0 run.

• The Illini outscored Minnesota 27-19 in the final stanza but would not get closer than seven points at any time. Minnesota was boosted by a 13-16 performance at the free throw line in the fourth quarter alone. The Gophers, who made their first 13 attempts of the contest, finished 20-23 at the charity stripe.

POWELL, GOPHERS IMPROVING FROM LONG RANGE

• Sophomore Jasmine Powell has improved her 3-point shooting between the first two years of her career.

• As a freshman, Powell was 30-of-100 on 3-pointers, shooting 30 percent from long range and making 0.96 3-pointers per contest over 31 games. But this year in just 15 games, she's already 36-of-98 on 3's while shooting 36.7 percent and making 2.4 per game.

• She ranks fourth in the Big Ten in 3's made and attempted, and fifth in 3's made per game and 3-point percentage.

• This season, Powell has made at least two 3-pointers in 11 of 15 contests, including nine games with at least three made and three games of a career-high four made 3's. She's made at least three 3-pointers in seven of her last 10 outings.

• As a team, the Gophers have seen notable improvement in 3-pointers as of late. Through the first eight games, the team was shooting a combined 28.6 percent (57-199) from long range, but in the seven games since they're shooting 38.4 percent (61-159).

• During the recent stretch, Powell is 16-38 (42.1 percent) on 3's, Sara Scalia is 24-63 (38.1) and Gadiva Hubbard is 7-20 (35.0). Seven Gophers have attempted five or more 3's in the last seven games and all boast a shooting percentage of at least .333 in that span.

• The team ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-pointers attempted (358), third in 3-pointers made per game (7.9), fourth in 3's made (118) and sixth in percentage (.330).

SISSOKO THE BIG TEN'S MOST IMPROVED SCORER

• Kadi Sissoko has recorded the biggest increase in scoring average in all of the Big Ten from her last season of competition to this year and also has the second-best improvement on rebounding average.

• As a freshman at Syracuse in 2018-19, Sissoko averaged 3.2 points per game. But this year, her scoring average stands at 12.7. That increase of 9.5 points per game is best in the Big Ten.

• Sissoko is also second among the most improved rebounders in the league as she has gone from 1.8 rebounds per game as a freshman to 6.8 this year.

BIG TEN RANKINGS

• The Gophers have four players averaging double figures in Big Ten play with Sara Scalia leading the way at 15.0 points per game. Jasmine Powell is behind her at 14.6, while Kadi Sissoko is at 11.8 and Gadiva Hubbard is averaging 11.5 points per game. Sissoko also has a team-best 6.5 rebounds per contest in B1G play.

• In Big Ten play, the Gophers rank third in 3's made per game (8.15), fourth in free throw percentage (.765) and fifth in 3-point percentage (.334).

• Powell ranks fourth in assists per game (5.46), fifth in 3's made per game (2.38), 10th in free throw percentage (.788) and 15th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34).

• Scalia is third in 3's made per game (2.92), fourth in 3-point percentage (.343) and 20th in scoring.

• Sissoko sits fifth in offensive rebounds (3.08) and 17th in rebounding average (6.54).

• Klarke Sconiers ranks 12th in blocks per game (0.92).

GOPHERS FACING ONE OF BIG TEN'S TOUGHEST SCHEDULES

• Minnesota is 6-9 on the season and 6-8 in Big Ten play after winning four of its past six, though the team has faced one of the most difficult schedules in the Big Ten so far.

• The teams the Gophers have played have a combined record of 139-108 (.563), including a 99-46 (.683) mark for the teams against which they've lost.

• The .563 opponent win percentage for Minnesota is the fourth highest in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin (.586), Maryland (.568) and Purdue (.564).

• Eight of the nine losses in Big Ten play have come against teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Top 25: No. 10 Maryland (13-2), No. 11 Ohio State (12-3), No. 12 Michigan (11-1), No. 14 Indiana (12-4), No. 20 Northwestern (11-4), RV Michigan State (10-5) and RV Iowa (11-6, twice).

HUBBARD HEATING UP BEFORE INJURY

• Gadiva Hubbard has missed the last four games due to an injury suffered late in the Gophers' win at Penn State on Jan. 25. It came at an unfortunate time (as any injury does) as she was starting to heat up.

• After scoring a season-high 24 points at Wisconsin (1/3), Hubbard had her scoring average at a season-best 12.8 points per game. However, she scored only 14 points in her next three games while shooting 24.0 percent from the floor (6-25) and 5.9 percent on 3's (1-17).

• She then broke out of that mini-slump, though, by scoring 18 points in each of her last two games and improving her shooting: 11-22 from the field (50.0 percent) and 7-17 (41.2) on 3's. Despite missing those four games, her scoring average is back up to 11.5 per contest and she's averaged 6.5 rebounds in her last two games after posting 3.1 over her first nine games.

SUNDAY THE LATEST REMATCH FOR MINNESOTA

• Sunday's contest with the Badgers will be the third rematch for the Gophers this year.

• Minnesota is 1-3 this season against teams it has faced twice. It split the season series with Penn State by avenging an earlier loss with a win on Jan. 25. The Gophers have also been swept by Iowa.

• In addition to facing Wisconsin, Minnesota still has follow-up contests to go with Maryland, Nebraska and Illinois, and possibly two games to play against Michigan, if the Feb. 4 contest that was postponed can be rescheduled.

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Players Mentioned

Laura Bagwell Katalinich

Kenisha Bell

Taiye Bello

Jasmine Brunson

Erin Hedman

Gadiva Hubbard

Jasmine Powell

Sara Scalia

Klarke Sconiers

Kadi Sissoko

Alexia Smith

Caroline Strande